Two Gentlemen of Verona review

A play ‘Two Gentlemen of Verona’, written by Shakespeare in his early years, is considered not very popular because of the distraction of the plot. Performances and musicals on it in different years were produced by a few (opposed to the famous ‘Romeo and Juliet’, ‘The Comedy of Errors’ and ‘Twelfth Night’). B. Mel Shapiro did it, making some adjustments, so the story was not so disjointed and illogical. And his idea has been very successful, as evidenced by the main Tony Award.

The musical is difficult to call entirely comedy, because the story tells of the betrayal, and this fact causes a lot of problems during the plot. But to call it romantic is more than appropriate. Not for nothing at the beginning and the end of the performance, cupids sprinkled the scene with red hearts deftly. Yes, and the story ends on a positive note: friends finally managed with their relationship and with their beloved ones too.

The story of two best friends, who left their native Verona to go to Milan for the education purposes and knowledge of life, quickly gains colors: Proteus, sworn to marry Julia (who, in addition, was pregnant from him), falls in love with a girl of his friend. Obsessed with passion, he decides to betray friendship, telling a father of beauty Silvia about plans of lovers to flee the nearest night. Incidentally, it is interesting that after the expulsion from the palace of the duke, Valentine, who came to Milan to study and to know life, is going to the lair of thieves, becoming their leader.

Meanwhile, a pregnant Julia decides not to waste time in vain and goes after her lover. But for women it was very dangerous to travel alone in those times, so brave girl decided to disguise as a man. Very soon, she learns about the fickleness of her lover, but follows him persistently. By the way, when she appears before him in the men's attire, young man doesn’t recognize his disguised beloved. Comical situation, isn’t it?!

And these twists and turns would not experience the end, if in the final stage they did not forgive each other. Men understood one another, and took care with their feelings. Valentine remained with the daughter of the duke and Proteus – with Julia.

Love is the leitmotif of the entire musical, as even servants gained their happiness. Many critics have noted that the dialogues in the play at times looked very sloppy, but the music part covered those mistakes. Immersing yourself in the story, you sometimes sympathize to the characters, but only partially, because the story looks rather comical. Music in performance largely reflects the spirit of the '70s. At has a lot of funk and rock music. Playful theatrical was popular with the public not for nothing. Talented actors, great dancing, and beautiful scenery have done their job.
Last Update:July, 18th 2016

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